Metal parts may often be formed through, for example, techniques such as die-casting. To perform die-casting, molten metal can be forced under high pressure into a die-cast mold of a desired pattern. The molten metal may then be allowed to cool and harden into the metal part. After the molten metal has cooled, the die-cast mold can be “opened” or otherwise removed from around the metal part.
In some embodiments, a metal part including a hook feature can be created via die-cast molding. However, generally a hook may not be created directly through die-cast molding. For example, since the pieces of the die-cast mold can be removed outwards from the metal part, the pieces of the mold may rip or otherwise damage the hook when these pieces are removed. Accordingly, in some embodiments, an additional machining step can be performed to create a hook in a metal part after the die cast molding. For example, a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) tool-cutter or other suitable tool can be used to cut the metal part after the die-cast molding to form a hook in the metal part.
Although creating a hook in a metal part through a CNC tool or through any other suitable machining step can be functional, it can have several disadvantages. For example, using a CNC tool requires an additional step to make the hook, which may cost extra time, resources, or both. As another example, due to the continual miniaturization of electronics (e.g., cellular phones becoming smaller in size, laptops becoming smaller in size, cameras becoming smaller in size, and other electronics becoming smaller in size), metal parts used in these electronics are increasingly smaller in size. As these metal parts become smaller in size, CNC tools or other such tools may improperly cut the metal part or otherwise be unable to meet the high precision required to machine these small parts. Indeed, due to the smallness and precision of these metal parts, creating features such as hooks can be very difficult or even impossible through techniques such as CNC tool machining.